Items are often packed in containers for shipping and storage using customized packing. Such packing is often manufactured to conform to the items and to the containers in which the items are stored and/or shipped. In particular, customized tool kits are used in many industries to hold tools for specific applications and work. Such tool kits often include foam inserts or packing conformed to hold the tools contained in the kit. If a tool is missing or left behind, the absence of the tool in the packing makes it obvious to the user that a tool is missing. This is important for work in areas where foreign objects should not be left upon completion of the work.
Current systems size and configure the packing for tools in tool kits and items for packing using specific measurements of the objects. These measurements are typically taken on an individual basis by hand. Dimensions are taken manually from the objects themselves or read one at a time from computer aided design (CAD) drawings of the objects. Specific outline drawings for cutting the packing are then compiled by hand. The resulting outlines can be grouped manually, or used individually in designing and cutting the actual packing materials used to pack the objects. In current systems, after manufacture of the packing materials for an object, there is no convenient way to modify the packing configuration in the event of a change in the object being packed or in the event different objects are desired to be packed. Further, in organizations where multiple tool kits are packed and multiple tool kit configurations are utilized, it is typically difficult to obtain earlier generated packing outlines or packing configurations for use in subsequently made tool kits or container packing.
Thus, there is an unmet need in the art for automated generation of outlines and configurations for packing tools and items, and for editing, logging, and tracking configurations and related information after manufacture for later re-use or re-configuration.